Chapter 21
Beth
"You look... enchanting," says Alex, who's standing before me in an elegant tuxedo as I open the door to my shop, where he had knocked just a moment before.
It’s exactly eight o'clock, and I'm glad I managed to get everything done on time today. Ben is already asleep in his little bed. I put him to bed myself, read to him, and explained that Aunt Veronica is here tonight and will give him milk from his bottle.
Of course, she isn't really his aunt; Ben doesn't have one.
But Veronica is always there for him whenever he and I need her.
She rearranged another shift, and my unpaid debt to her grew even larger.
How on earth can I ever repay her for all these good deeds?
I sincerely hoped I'd be able to someday. I would do anything for her.
Before this, I had sorted everything out: pumped and froze milk, set out the milk warmer, gotten ready, and swore to Veronica that I'd be back by midnight at the latest, because there was no way I was spending the night in a strange bed today.
Perhaps something like that won't happen again anyway, because today the truth will come to light.
I was actually glad he asked me to accompany him.
The venue seemed ideal. Important people who meant something to him were there, so he wouldn't make a big scene and would listen to what I have to say.
On the other hand, it also feels good, because the thing with us.
.. it was so intense... so different from anything I've ever experienced.
It feels nice to be his date, almost real, as if something truly connected us.
And something does—that connection's name is Ben, and he's sleeping peacefully in his little bed right now.
But that's not what I mean. There's more. So much to discover and explore.
And yet, I'm afraid that the truth will change everything and that this will all be over after tonight.
"You look great, too," I say to Alex, who once again gives me a kiss on the cheek as a greeting, one so sensual that my mind instantly goes back to lying on his couch underneath him.
Oh man, this is going to be hard.
"Ready?" he asks, taking my hand and leading me to the car.
"Ready," I say, giving a weak smile and feeling so incredibly safe as I feel the warmth of his hand. I should have told him sooner. Then maybe we would have had a chance. But did I even want that chance at the beginning?
"Just a ten-minute drive," Alex says, holding the door open for me.
******
"May I introduce Beth, my date," Alex says, and I shake a few more hands.
Alex is right. Events like this are boring.
Lots of small talk and fake smiles. But with him, nothing is boring.
We walked hand-in-hand through the large entrance doors, and a valet took his car key to park the now-repaired Bentley.
It felt so real. In another world, without our history, I would have truly believed we were something like a couple.
The way Alex whispered something about each of the guests into my ear.
Nothing disparaging, a funny story here and there, a scandalous secret.
It added spice to the evening, and I liked how we laughed together and how, after I ate an appetizer, he wiped the crumbs from the corner of my mouth with his index finger and popped it into his own. As if we were one.
"We're almost through it, Beth," Alex whispers. "Here come the mayor and his wife. His third, by the way. Her name is Elaine and..."
"Mr. Mayor. Elaine," I greet them, extending my hand and looking into two friendly and open faces.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss...?" the mayor asks.
"Call me Beth," I say, just as Alex had instructed me to earlier. He said the old guard loves to call women by their first names. It seems strangely old-fashioned to me, but I do it for Alex's sake, who gives me a friendly nod and reaches for my hand, which feels so wonderfully warm and familiar.
"Mister Rodgers, I must say, you've brought a wonderful date with you tonight. Haven't you, Elaine?" said the mayor, shaking Alex's hand.
"Thank you, sir," Alex said. "Will you have a moment for me later?"
"But of course. Always, for a gentleman with such a lovely date. A cognac later?"
"I'd like that, sir," Alex said, and the pair moved on.
"Well, what did I tell you? Just like a hundred years ago, right?" Alex whispers in my ear after they were gone.
"Unbelievable," I say, having to grin. It really is. A world foreign to me, so strange that it's actually funny again.
"With you, this is the first time an event like this has been fun," Alex whispers again and gives me another kiss on the cheek. Then I turn my head. The tips of our noses are almost touching. We're so close to each other, and the rest of the room and the music fade into the background.
How I'd love to kiss him. This man who is guiding me through this maze of wealthy men, making me feel as if I truly belong. To him.
But first, he has to know everything. And how he reacts—that will change everything.
"Alex... can we talk?" I ask quietly, my tone soft, resisting the urge to kiss him by a hair's breadth.
"Yeah. Come on, over there seems to be a good spot away from everything and..." Alex begins, pointing to the couch. The very couch in his living room where we... I push the thought aside. Not now.
"Sir? Boss? There's a problem. Do you have a moment?" says Eric, his assistant, who has hurried over to us. He glances at me briefly before turning to Alex. Alex explained to me that he also has the job of shaking a few hands here and there.
"Can't it wait? Beth and I were just about to discuss something," Alex says, annoyed, and I'm happy that he seems to be taking my request seriously this time.
"No, I'm afraid I... it's..." Eric stammers, glancing nervously back and forth between me and Alex.
"All right. But just for a minute," Alex says grumpily and turns to me. "I'll be right back."
"So. What's wrong?" Alex asks his assistant as they move away from me.
"He's here, too," I hear Eric say, but I can't make out the rest. However, I can see from Alex's expression that he looks anything but thrilled as he turns his head in the direction his assistant is pointing.
Then I realize what problem his assistant meant.